#FUCKING CODING THEM TO BE

[superhell]

jesus fucking christ

[sadisthetic]

hanbok!!! for fun!

[anatolypilled]

What exactly happened between Rooster and Hangman? (The Exes, explained)

(or, I deliriously try to explain what the fuck went on between Hangman and Rooster because why the fuck were their scenes like that. why the fuck did they act like that. why the fuck did they say that.)

Top Gun: Maverick has taken over my brain. I have so many brain worms from this movie. I have this weird connection to the Top Gun movies… but that’s too long and this post isn’t for it. 

To answer the essential question: we’ll never know. But, by piecing together information, and of course, over-analyzing their interactions to the death, we can figure out some of it. Obviously, through a shipping lens because… Sereshaw / Hangster / whatever you wanna call them, have taken over my mind. 

I like to believe that they were exes — exes who had something really good, until it all crashed and burned and became unsalvageable in the end. Everything I say here happened in the movie; my analysis is just different and obviously I’m stretching and reaching LMFAO but you know what! It’s fun. I had fun. I giggled, I chortled, so… let’s unpack. 

— 

For ease, I’ll go through everything chronologically. Amazingly enough, their first scene provides plenty of evidence towards the fact that they could be exes. It’s crazy 😭 

We’re introduced to Hangman first through Phoenix. (OKAY gonna go on a tangent here, but just for fun: we can conclude that Phoenix and Hangman already knew each other — whether through the academy or flight school, and also a cool part of canon: the squadrons they’re canonically assigned to (Phoenix - Black Aces, Hangman - Vigilantes) are part of the same Air Wing (CVW-9). This means they’re also on the same aircraft carrier, have the same base, and home port. I don’t exactly know how much time they would spend with each other, but I still think they knew each other even before this! (She talks about how Hangman got his callsign and she was part of it, this most likely would have happened before they were assigned to their respective fleet squadrons.)) 

He’s… a douchebag! He’s annoying! He’s cocky! A stereotypical jock. 

After a while, Rooster makes an appearance and greets Phoenix first. Through their interactions… it’s safe to assume that he’s friends with her, OR also has a bit of history with her, too. They’re close, and he doesn’t seem to do the same with everyone else. (During GBOF, Phoenix is the only one who notices Rooster at the piano — like she knows what he’s about to do.) They have their talk, then we hear Slow Ride, courtesy of Hangman. 

The camera cuts to Rooster looking at Hangman like this… for what 😭. It’s not a look of smugness, no smirking, no smiling… he looks shy? He’s looking up at him like he’s holding something back. Like he’s remembering something and we just don’t know what. Why does he look so apologetic? What happened? 

Then, we get to: “Bradshaw, as I live and breathe.” 

No callsigns here… just… Bradshaw. And Hangman is looking at him with a smug look, smirking — all with the music playing? The music he picked out because he saw Rooster walking into the bar? 

And… we’re here! 

“Hangman, you look… good.” 

“Well, I am good, Rooster.”  

“I’m very good.” 

(Rooster looks at Phoenix right after this. She knows, too.) 

“In fact, I am too good to be true.” 

I’m like being dead serious here 😭 what normal people… who DON’T have a deeper shared history with each other, after seeing each other after a long time apart, greet each other with, “You look good. / I am good.” WHAT. 

This is something that’s echoed between them throughout the movie, TWO times, exactly, at very important parts during their interactions. The first one is this, the last time is after Hangman saves his and Maverick’s life… that’s for later. 

I don’t know if I have to explain the looks… but seriously, why do they look at each other like that? Sure, Hangman is smirking and everything, but the two of them have these looks on their faces — like they’re remembering something that happened in the past. A… breakup? A relationship? Hangman acts like someone who got absolutely fucking jilted, and he’s putting this facade up to show that it never affected him. And it fits with his character too — with his pride and his arrogance. Rooster doesn’t act this way. It’s like he knows he did something to him, he just doesn’t want to bring it up. Not now, anyway. 

What they say here is important, too. Hangman’s “I am too good to be true.” is just… odd. I firmly believe that no one would ever say this…? No matter how arrogant they are? It’s like it's an inside joke, something that only he and Rooster would no. (And why? Did Bradley call him that? Did he confess that? And he’s bringing that back, just to hurt him?) It’s also punctuated by the fact that as he’s saying this, it cuts to Phoenix and Payback, who are both looking at Rooster like they’re in on whatever is happening. 

What can I even say about this like I feel like this moment is so self-explanatory 😭😭😭 WHY are they doing that? Why is Hangman so close? Why is Rooster looking at his lips? WHAT IS HAPPENING? What is Hangman saying? Why? 

Those are just a few questions I have that I know will never be answered. If you like to think within the Sereshaw Exes Canon, though, all of what Hangman says could not only apply to Rooster’s flying, but to a previous relationship. 

Through Hangman, we can learn about Rooster’s flying style. He’s more conservative, by the book (similar to the way Ice flies!), versus Hangman’s more Maverick flying style. He’s fast and quick and dangerous. Rooster punctuates that when he claims that following Hangman would just lead someone to an early grave. 

Could this be… the remnants of a breakup gone badly? Hangman says that Rooster prefers to wait on his perch, waiting for a moment that’ll never come. That if you follow him, you’ll run out of fuel. Throughout this, Slow Ride is playing (Hangman loves this song…), with some of the lyrics to the song being, “Slow ride, take it easy / Slow ridin’ woman you’re so fine.” Putting the pieces together… Did Hangman just go too fast for Rooster? Or was Rooster, who was slow to love and very scared to, just never truly go for it? Did Hangman put all his chips in? Did Rooster hang back and wait for the right moment for it all to happen? Were they together, then separated, and Rooster never did anything about it (in canon: Rooster’s squadron is the Golden Warriors. He’s stationed at NAS Oceana — on the opposite side of the country, Virginia.)? There’s so much you can headcanon about this interaction right here. All I can say is that something definitely went on between the two of them — and Hangman just never got over it. 

Finally, it ends with Phoenix and Rooster saying that he hasn’t changed. She knows, too. 

(Also, it’s fun to headcanon that maybe… Slow Ride was their song. Maybe it had a special meaning for the two of them.) 

And that’s just… their opening scene. To be honest, the next parts are a lot about the looks they share. They’re sitting, listening to their assignments and constantly looking back at each other — similar to the way Ice and Mav did. Nothing that really adds to The Exes backstory, so I won’t go into it here. Crazy looks though tbh 😭 

Their next “semi” big scene is when they’re first flying with Maverick. Just the two of them. What’s important here, that we learn about the two of them, is that Hangman doesn’t know about Maverick and his relationship with Rooster. I guess, you could say, if Hangman doesn’t know about Maverick, then how close could he be with Rooster? To that, I say, I don’t think Rooster would’ve readily provided that information. He seems to be struggling to come to terms with it the entire movie, holding onto it too tightly. The only person he ends up telling about the papers is Phoenix. 

Then… we get to their fight. (Which I can’t provide pictures of because I don’t have them… sorry go watch the movie. The visuals aren’t even that important anyway, but they’re looking at each other like they always do. 😭) 

Hangman starts talking about the past. He tells Rooster that he needs to let go of the past. And Rooster… it’s like he already knows. Hangman brings Goose and Maverick up, and Rooster pushes him and they fight. He’s mean, he’s hurtful. It’s something that cuts deeper. It all happens so fast, like the two of them are so wound up from just being in the same room that they can’t take it anymore. This is like… their saddest interaction but it’s still important. (Because even if Hangman did this, it’s never brought up again.) 

After that, there isn’t really anything until the mission. We get this: 

AGAIN why are they looking at each other like this WHY. 

Hangman is pretty much the last person Rooster sees before getting on the plane. And they stare at each other for a bit, and Rooster is moving around a little and it looks like he has so much to say to him. It’s like they have so much to say to each other… but how can you say it? Hangman doesn’t even know if Rooster will come back. And so, it’s silent. It’s quiet, which is different from all their interactions in the movie. They were explosive, always at each other’s necks — never being able to heal from a thing that broke the two of them. 

In the end, Hangman tells him to give them hell. That’s it. And Rooster doesn’t respond. Then they part — is this when they realize that they should’ve done more? Should’ve worked harder at something they cherished? I don’t know. All I know is that they look like they had more to say. 

As the mission continues on, the biggest part between them is that when Rooster’s plane goes down, they immediately cut to Hangman in his plane. It mirrors the exact same way couples are framed in movies — their loved one gets hurt, and the camera moves to the other one, showcasing their reaction. Even if it isn’t a loved one — it’s someone extremely important to the person who just got hurt. While they could’ve shown, say, Phoenix — they chose Hangman. Why? 

He just looks… so concerned. Did he lose Rooster forever? No more chances for closure, no more time spent with him — he’s just gone. And at this point, there’s nothing that Hangman can do about it. (And I’ll ask it again… why else would they cut to him?) 

So, the movie goes on… and Hangman saves Rooster and Mav. He goes on his spiel about tray tables, etc. etc… and then, Rooster uses their callback again: (Hangman, you look good. / I am good, Rooster. I’m very good.) But it’s different this time! 

Obviously lmfao Rooster is happier. He’s smiling and he’s laughing at Hangman, and he uses their callback in a lighthearted way. It doesn’t hold the same weight as it did before. Mostly because… well he’s alive, but the line reprising itself towards the end is… good. It marks a before, and after. The first time — it marked the beginning of something that was happening between them. Exes meeting for the first time since the breakup that went wrong — weird and angry and hurtful towards each other. The second time, it's a relief — because Bradley’s life was just saved and of course, of course, Jake saved him. It ends their animosity towards each other. It’s something new that they can both start. 

Bradley was just so close, and Jake was there at the best time — waiting for the right moment. Maybe, it’s how they decide to start it again. Properly. It’s different because they’re both older, maybe more mature, but it’s something familiar nonetheless. 

They meet back on the carrier (where Hold my Hand is playing in the background… HELLO?) and they have their little handshake! (Which, if I digress for a second… should’ve been a hug. A hug not only would’ve been such a cool thing to compare to Ice and Mav’s, but it would’ve capped Rooster’s arc perfectly. Him making peace with his past and the people around him, letting go of his anger and trying to move on. I don’t care if Hangman/Rooster is a thing, they still should’ve hugged. A handshake doesn’t get that message across. Unless… maybe their story isn’t over? There’s something more? They’re building up to that hug?) 

They share a look — and Rooster and Hangman look so happy. Hangman is genuinely so happy that Rooster’s alive, and he even taps him on his chest (his heart). It’s like, affirming to himself that yeah, Bradley is here and alive and breathing and he saved him. This time, they’ll get a second chance. Whatever the fuck happened back then — he would make sure it’d never happen again. And Bradley — who is now learning that it’s okay to just do, just do what he wants and learn from his consequences, will be different. Maybe he’ll go all in this time. Who the fuck knows. 

— 

And… that’s the end. I just wanna say that this is all headcanon minus the actual things said from the movie 😭😭😭… No, Hangman and Rooster are never confirmed exes NOR will they ever will be. It’s just very impossible for that to happen I fear... the world wouldn't be able to handle it 😭. Which is fine! Things don’t need to be canon to be enjoyed! This “story” that you can create from this is just one of the many things that y’all could take away from their interactions… I just love the strangers to friends friends into lovers then strangers again trope Very Very much. 

Go watch the movie. It gave me brain worms. And I’ll probably write Actual Sereshaw / Hangster in the future lol. 

[rotzaprachim]

literally the power of this world fucks you over and everything is awful and you will die but also there are some matching magic crystal Friendship Necklaces to link you and your bestie/soulmate across time, rogue one and andor were soooo insane for this 

[fishing-lesbian-catgirl]

A couple years ago I made a tweet about how Samus was transgender and it blew up for some fucking reason. Anyway, as with all big tweets involving trans people, a bunch of people came in with reasons why Samus couldn’t possibly be transgender, none of them really made sense, but the only one I couldn’t outright refute was that we see her as a young girl in the manga apparently.

Anyway, so I’m playing through Metroid Zero Mission and I just finished the zero suit Samus section, which ends with a flashback to when child Samus lives with the Chozo. Right there in the official game I was being shown what young Samus looked like. Do you want to see the “Samus as a young girl that is irrefutable proof she cannot possibly be transgender”?

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

if i twas a wizard i would surely wear nothing but tatty old bathrobes and dozens of little bows tied to my luxurious flowing beard

[styrofauxm]

Say it with me guys.

A character being aspec is not infantilization.

If you think a character is being infantilized with a headcanon or confirmation, then you are the one infantilizing aspec people.

Aspec people are not immature. We are not infantile. We are not young children being lied to by their parents.

If you think that little to no sexual or romantic attraction is immature, if you think that being aspec is akin to being a child, then you have to examine your biases.

Please. Stop throwing around bullshit about how it's "problematic" for a character to be/be headcanoned as aspec because that's "infantilizing them." It's not. You are infantilizing us. Just admit that you are aphobic and move the hell on.

Again.

A character being aspec is not infantilization.

[cumulativechaos]

ok my tags on the ao3 algorithm post were mean but like. maybe this is a skill ive learned just from being on social media pre-algorithmification of everything but you can TELL when the website or the app you're on has an algorithm. like did you choose to see the post (or fic, since we were talking abt ao3) you're seeing? did someone you follow post it? did you specifically search for it? how were search results organized? by popularity? alphabetically? in time order? oldest first? newest first? and if you didn't choose to see it, how did it get there? was it suggested based on your previous activity? did the website recommend it because it's "trending?"

ao3 is just. genuinely one of the LEAST algorithm'd website ive ever seen. you find the fics you want by searching for them. when you go into a fandom, literally EVERY fic in that fandom is shown to you in reverse chronological order, newest stuff first. when you're filtering with tags you choose how the results are sorted (by kudos, date posted, comments, etc). ao3 never suggests fics for you. there's not a fucking "for you" page of selected content trying to suck you into an endless scroll

[steelycunt]

regulus fans getting sooo bugged out over that quote in the books about how he was less handsome than sirius n trying to deny it…why girls embrace your fav being nothing special embrace them being a little wonky looking. my best little baby princess looks like a parsnip and i go awooga awooga over him every single day i am having the time of my life. i am free

[harriertail]

I’ve been thinking about Thunder

(dotc rewrite) The fire-red tom is the last surviving kit. His mother is still alive, but frail- the moorland cats say she is dying of a broken heart, an old superstition regarding queens and their lost kits- Wind and Hawk Swoop both agree to help her settle into the moorland camp, but with no medicine cat, she quickly deteriorates. Her son is named Thundering Storm in honour of her and a reminder of the storm of rubble that nearly killed them both. Tragically, Storm passes, but Thundering Storm is loved and treasured by Hawk Swoop and his adoptive siblings. Grey Wing is a good father- maybe too critical when he sees Clear Sky’s temper flashing in his son’s outburts, but feels Clear Sky should at least come visit his only kit. After the fire, when heat lightning crashes across the sky, a paranoid Clear Sky is adamant; Thundering Storm belongs to him. He is given to the forest and renamed Thundering Sky, now he has proven himself worthy of Clear Sky’s attention. Thundering Sky is one of them, a forest cat, he belongs with his kin. But Thundering Sky has know nothing but love: pure from Storm, gentle from Hawk Swoop and Turtle Tail, tough from Grey Wing, the love/hate banter of young siblings rushing to grow up together, and cannot fit into Clear Sky’s world. He returns to the moor with Frost. His father goes insane. Clear Sky wants boundaries, Clear Sky wants laws and order in a chaotic world, One Eye will help him achieve that. The winters in the mountains have made him paranoid. Thundering Sky is trapped between Grey Wing seeking peace with the others and Jagged Peak seeking revenge, and Clear Sky seeking order, he is caught between the forest and the moor, and his non-mountain blood. 

Even after all of it, Clear Sky’s jabs and comments, the murdering of innocent cats, working with One Eye to strengthen the group, the young tom just wants his father’s approval, truly. He wants his father’s laws to work, for the borders to bring peace, but they cannot. Not with Clear Sky determined to continue leading his group alone, and One Eye looking to take it. 

The mountain cats have brought nothing but trouble and bloodshed, and they fight to the death in the hollow with five trees until a lightning strike destroys one ancient oak and brings the dead back to life- over what? Over the rights to hunt? Over the land? Over him? Thundering Sky returns to the forest, seeing his father quiver before the spirits of their dead. They both just need someone to prop them up. He can temper Clear Sky’s rage, Clear Sky can make him into a cat he will be proud of.

He will not learn, even after One Eye is gone, Clear Sky is certain his way is right- after all, he and One Eye united the forest, the moor, and the strays. Unite or die, says the spirits, they must all come into Clear Sky’s control. You are a forest cat- you belong with me. He speaks of wanting a group, a set of rules and regulations to strictly keep the peace and honour, but he has no honour. None of the mountain cats do. They can all take their groups to the other side of the world. When the time comes, you will make it right, and Thundering Sky knows what he must do. He storms from Clear Sky’s camp in the dead of winter, he is nothing like his father, or his kin, he will make his own group. A group where the ill are tended too, the young trained, the evil punished. He sheds his name and becomes Thunder, not a forest cat, not a mountain cat, his own cat. He is not one of them. A new age is beginning, he vows, and sets to make his camp.

Clear Sky is furious, humiliated. His mother disowns him when she travels from the mountains, she curses Clear Sky so that he will never succeed in his bloodthirsty plans. He unites with Slash, regathers what is left of One Eye’s rogues and rogues from beyond- he has so much power he can gather cats from places beyond the forest, beyond the mountains. He makes one last push to unite the five groups, he bleeds into the ground by the river. Thunder gets word- Grey Wing is dying too, pushed to the edge by his brother’s actions. His last kin is gone. The new age is truly beginning. ThunderClan, RiverClan, WindClan, ShadowClan, and SkyClan- led by Sparrow Fur, will rule the forest. Five Clans around Four Trees. Thunder’s code, the warrior code, will grow and spread, and the Clans will grow. Leaders will get their nine lives, their medicine cats will learn to harness the power of the living and dead. All is well with the world. In the future, they will wonder about the fifth tree, decayed by time, and if Quiet Rain’s curse has anything to do with the monsters rolling across the SkyClan border.

[lionblaze03-2]

Your friendly reminder that it's ok to commit murder as long as they aren't from YOUR society

[seilon]

sorry I will not shut up about this show But. I just. wanted to mention how fucking cool it is that ok ko has a major bi character in it (a bi man at that) that has important on-screen romantic relationships portrayed with both a female partner and a male partner and neither is considered less legitimate than the other. his orientation isnt pointlessly called into question or suggested to have been faked or changed for ending up with a man when he was previously with a woman. It’s just natural, and so one doubts that he was once romantically interested in/involved with carol just because he ended up with boxman. and I think that is very cool and something I feel like I super rarely see with bi characters– when bi characters are represented I feel like it’s pretty common to only have them shown romantically involved with one gender or another and it’s more of a side note that they also like people outside that gender, or they’re portrayed as “confused” or god forbid suggesting their feelings for someone weren’t really real because they ended up with someone of another gender (not to be confused with comp het; in that case the individual isn’t bi and that’s different). And so having a children/family show that has two solidly bi characters first of all, and one who’s a grown adult who’s had established relationships with two genders on screen is just honestly really cool and I appreciate that so much

[sproutleap]

nightheart sucks

[synonymroll648]

the ultimate off-page kotlc love triangle was between brant and jolie and vertina. discuss. 

[badlydrawnarsenelupin]

// the four genders of arsène lupin: a chart

[theres-whump-in-that-nebula]

Sometimes I think about how my parents are fine with watching things with portrayals of drug users, smokers, and murderers in them (not trying to equate substance use to murder, to be clear); but the second a male character even sounds mildly effeminate, they shut off the TV??? Because it’s a bad influence??!!?!

Like, my dudes…. According to your religion all of those people are from the world; all of them are sinning, and “voluntary” sin is a symptom of hereditary sin. According to your belief system, certain people are predisposed to certain types of sin, including homosexuality. Theoretically, you should react to us as you would any other sinner; but you don’t. Why are we so offensive to you that you would rather watch some poor astronaut die screaming and hemorrhaging on a dinner table than view a queer-coded character for more than twenty seconds??